Thomas Janovic
Info. Tech.
Week 13 Task 1
11 December 2011
Rapid Application Development
“Rapid Application Development (RAD), is a process in software development that builds usable systems quickly (less than six months), without extensive planning.”[1] With the use of RAD, systems technicians can achieve rapid prototyping with very little planning efforts. RAD technology has been in existence for over 20 years and revolutionized the way software applications are built.
A problem existed in the early 1970s where processing procedures were quite limited as far as time goes. The time it took to develop applications was failing to meet client requests mainly due to the fact that by the time software developers were able to complete the manufacturing process, the needs of the clients had already changed. In simple terms, software applications were not being produced fast enough to meet market demand. When larger products were finally completed, the main result was complete systems that were unusable.
There was a major concern for dilemma and many developers tried to come up with a quick solution. “During the late 1980's Scott Shultz and James Martin refined the ideas of prototyping and iterative development into a methodology called Rapid Iterative Production Prototyping (RIPP) that focused on developing systems in a short time frame with small teams of highly qualified, motivated, and experienced staff.”[2] Shortly after, James Martin formalized this idea and in 1991, wrote the book “Rapid Application Development.”
The major advantages to RAD are mainly speed and quality. Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE tools), which transforms the needed applications into a usable line of code, and Time Boxing are the tools needed to develop software applications quickly. The use of RAD ensures a low maintenance cost as well as a timely delivery of applications that meet the needs of the user(s). Some of the disadvantages to using this product are “Reduced Scalability” and reduction of features in the applications software. Reduced scalability means that the software app might not fit well with other information systems. Some of the newer more advanced features of the apps are pushed forwards to the development of future apps to ensure they are delivered in the required time. In the end, the business must decide for itself whether or not RAD fits their needs and meets the requirements of the organizations to help them effectively achieve their goals.
Works Cited
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